Bachelor thesis prizes Political Science 2025: the nominees
The thesis is the ‘pièce de résistance’ in all the programmes offered by the Institute of Political Science. Students are requested to give their all one last time. Their supervisors often have to pull out all the stops as well. But once the work is done, it is a source of pride for everyone, regardless of the final mark. But, it must be said, some research projects stand out: these are nominated for a bachelor's thesis prize. On 17 October 2025, we will hear whose research will receive such extra recognition.
International Relations and Organisations thesis prize 2025: the shortlist
Jury members Petr Kopecký, Rebecca Ploof and Yuan Yi Zhu face the difficult task of picking a winner from a very strong field of contenders from the BSc Political Science: International Relations and Organisations. The outcome of the jury’s studies and deliberation will be announced on Friday afternoon 17 October 2025, during the IRO graduation ceremony in the Hooglandse Kerk in Leiden.
- Márton Kurucz, Types of EU Attitudes and Their Effect on Voting Likelihood (supervisor: Niki Yordanova)
- Kasya Hilhorst, An Abhidharma Buddhist Account of Intergenerational Justice (supervisor: Jelena Belic)
- Jakub Šťastný, Social Media as a Fear Inducer: How Digital Platforms Shape the Public Perception of Terrorism (supervisor: Josh Robison)
- Luna Marinissen, Colonial Legacies and Health Outcomes in Borneo: Evidence From a Natural Experiment (supervisor: Jonathan Phillips)
- Michelle Fairman, A New Currency of Power? Self-Legitimation Turf Wars in Global Governance Discourse (supervisor: Kathleen Brown)
- Salome Gurara, Unwelcome Guests? Foreign National Militaries and the Struggle for Post-Civil War Stability (supervisor: Jonah Schulhofer-Wohl)
- Marvin Katsole, Framing Defeat: A Computational Framing Analysis of Media Ownership and Failed Civil Resistance in Kenya (supervisor: Babak Rezaeedaryakenari)
- Konstantin Pfaff, Digital Health Governance in Europe (supervisor: Ellen van Reuler)
- Aram Soby, Tehran’s Calculated Distance Understanding Iran’s Foreign Policy During the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War (supervisor: Carina van de Wetering)
- Wiebke Lehner, Talking the Talk but not Walking the Walk: Investigating the Gap in Japan’s Promotion and Implementation of Gender Equality (supervisor: Martijn Mos)
- Margherita Manente, The Vatican as a Sui Generis Sovereign: Legal Selectivity and Diplomatic Strategy in Church-State Relations post 1984 (supervisor: Yuan Yi Zhu)
- Martina Pagnucco, Bodies of Vulnerability, Figures of Threat: Gendered Discourse and Refugee Governance in Italy (2014–2017) (supervisor: Muge Kinacioglu)
- Gabriela Hoepfner Machado Dias, Democracy Against Domination: Wealth, Oppression, and the Case for Limitarianism (supervisor: Marco Verschoor)
- Kareem Alsawalha, Kanafani, Arendt, and the Palestinian Arendtian Condition: Worldlessness in Men in the Sun (supervisor: Matthew Longo)
- Fardau Bakker, Unheard in the Union: How Declining Political Opportunities for Self- Determination Led to Biafra’s Secession and the Nigerian Civil War (supervisor: Corinna Jentzsch)
- Bennet Felten, - 1 - Beyond the Border: Institutional Signaling and the Strategic Logic of Remitting A Mixed-Methods Analysis of WTO Accession and Remittance Behaviour (supervisor: Michael Sampson)
- Ane Hagen, Aid and Accountability: Investigating the Political Effects of Foreign Aid in African States (supervisor: Tilko Swalve)
- Helena Lutze, Balancing Green Commitments and Economic Competitiveness: The Internal and External Drivers of EU Climate Policy Reframing (supervisor: Cynthia Bejeno)
- Izzy Witt, Displacement, Camps and Perceptions: A Quantitative Investigation of Forced Migration, Refugee Settlement Models and Host Community Attitudes in Uganda (supervisor: Leila Demarest)
Prof. Dr. J.Th.J. van den Berg-prize 2025 (best thesis Politicologie/Internationale Politiek): the shortlist
The jury for the programme BSc Politicologie and the specialisation Internationale Politiek, consisting SPIL-delegate Ralph Otten (student-member and chair), Joop van den Berg, Femke Bakker and Marco Verschoor, is currently deep reading the nominated theses. The winner will be announced during the graduation ceremony on Friday morning 17 October 2025 in the Hooglandse Kerk in Leiden.
- Kjell Boele, Tussen Emotie en Tactiek: Polarisatie en Onoprecht Kiesgedrag in het Nederlandse Evenredige Kiesstelsel (supervisor: Marijn Nagtzaam)
- Rutger van der Valk, De ontwikkeling van partijgerichte en leidergerichte affectieve polarisatie in Nederland tussen 1998 en 2023 (supervisor: Marijn Nagtzaam)
- Mauk Smit, The Timing of Compliance: Electoral Cycles, Ideology, and Seasonal Patterns in EU Directive Transposition (supervisor: Rutger Hagen)
- Ronny Wijling, Caraïbische vertegenwoordiging: een democratisch tekort. De representatie van het Caraïbisch deel van het Koninkrijk in de Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal (supervisor: Cynthia van Vonno)
- Veerle Tielemans, Bridging or Breaking? The United Kingdoms role in the transatlantic relationship between the UK, US and EU (supervisor: Karolina Pomorska)